What do you think?
Rate this book
Passion Play
When great actor and Redemption government spokesperson Jonathan Mask is found electrocuted, police hire free-lance hunter and shapeshifter Diane Fletcher to track the killer. Reprint.
194 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
3 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Sean Stewart
38 books149 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Sean Stewart (born June 2, 1965) is a U.S.-Canadian science fiction and fantasy author.
Born in Lubbock, Texas, Sean Stewart moved to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1968. After stints in Houston, Texas, Vancouver, British Columbia, Irvine, California and Monterey, California, he now lives in Davis, California, with his wife and two daughters.
He received an Honors degree in English from University of Alberta in 1987, following which he spent many years writing novels. He gradually moved from writing novels to interactive fiction, first as lead writer on the Web based Alternate Reality Game The Beast.
He served as a consultant on several computer games, and was on the management team of the 4orty2wo Entertainment experiential marketing and entertainment company, where he was lead writer for Haunted Apiary aka ilovebees and Last Call Poker. His newest novel Cathy's Book seems to represent the melding of his two careers, as it crosses the alternate reality game format with a teen novel. In 2007, he and several 4orty2wo co-founders left that company to start Fourth Wall Studios.
Awards:
* Arthur Ellis Award Best First Novel winner (1993): Passion Play
* World Fantasy Award Best Novel winner (2001): Galveston
Sean Stewart (born June 2, 1965) is a U.S.-Canadian science fiction and fantasy author.
Born in Lubbock, Texas, Sean Stewart moved to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1968. After stints in Houston, Texas, Vancouver, British Columbia, Irvine, California and Monterey, California, he now lives in Davis, California, with his wife and two daughters.
He received an Honors degree in English from University of Alberta in 1987, following which he spent many years writing novels. He gradually moved from writing novels to interactive fiction, first as lead writer on the Web based Alternate Reality Game The Beast.
He served as a consultant on several computer games, and was on the management team of the 4orty2wo Entertainment experiential marketing and entertainment company, where he was lead writer for Haunted Apiary aka ilovebees and Last Call Poker. His newest novel Cathy's Book seems to represent the melding of his two careers, as it crosses the alternate reality game format with a teen novel. In 2007, he and several 4orty2wo co-founders left that company to start Fourth Wall Studios.
Awards:
* Arthur Ellis Award Best First Novel winner (1993): Passion Play
* World Fantasy Award Best Novel winner (2001): Galveston
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 16, 2017
There's a lot to love about this book if you are a reader who loves literal morality plays wrought from a dystopia made up of a religious dictatorship, a-la Blade-Runner meets V for Vendetta meets religious nutters.
However, it's not quite so clean as it may appear. It's not a perfect Passion Play that recreates Christ and his death and resurrection... rather, we have empaths and telepaths, hunters and a murder mystery revolving around Mask, a very interesting and important actor who has been murdered and our MC must go deep immersion into his life, unlike a standard Sherlock tale, in order to gestalt the whole mystery, untangling all threads by getting to know everyone.
Of course, this means we get to know the dead actor, his part and his hypocrisy as a spokesman for the church, and all the people who knew and might have wanted him dead. It's quite fascinating, if simple on the surface.
The best part of the novel is it's clear prose and often poetic turn, the way this plays on a very old literary form, and how it also manages to remain fresh and timely for us modern peeps.
I can appreciate this novel more than I outright enjoyed it, but that's kinda the point, too. It is, after all, *important* the way a tragedy is *important*. It's not often pleasant, but it rolls around ideas in a very heavy way.
It's a very decent novel, but it's really only for those who like or have the patience for Christian allegories. The conclusion isn't precisely what most people would think, either. I personally thought it was quite dark and rather counter to normal Passion Plays. :) In that respect, Sean Stewart writes for himself. :)
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC!
However, it's not quite so clean as it may appear. It's not a perfect Passion Play that recreates Christ and his death and resurrection... rather, we have empaths and telepaths, hunters and a murder mystery revolving around Mask, a very interesting and important actor who has been murdered and our MC must go deep immersion into his life, unlike a standard Sherlock tale, in order to gestalt the whole mystery, untangling all threads by getting to know everyone.
Of course, this means we get to know the dead actor, his part and his hypocrisy as a spokesman for the church, and all the people who knew and might have wanted him dead. It's quite fascinating, if simple on the surface.
The best part of the novel is it's clear prose and often poetic turn, the way this plays on a very old literary form, and how it also manages to remain fresh and timely for us modern peeps.
I can appreciate this novel more than I outright enjoyed it, but that's kinda the point, too. It is, after all, *important* the way a tragedy is *important*. It's not often pleasant, but it rolls around ideas in a very heavy way.
It's a very decent novel, but it's really only for those who like or have the patience for Christian allegories. The conclusion isn't precisely what most people would think, either. I personally thought it was quite dark and rather counter to normal Passion Plays. :) In that respect, Sean Stewart writes for himself. :)
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC!
July 3, 2017
Received to review via Netgalley; publication date 14th June 2017
I wasn’t sure where this one was going, but it ended up darker than I expected. I kept waiting for something to happen, and then it got all messed around — saying it got turned on its head wouldn’t quite be true, because it made perfect sense and it was coming all along, but I wasn’t quite expecting that. It’s a powerful story, and that ending has a heck of a sting in the tail.
The whole Christian fundamentalist running the USA thing is, well, kind of close to home with someone like Mike Pence as the VP. But this is mostly not about that world; that’s just the backdrop. It’s about living in that world, and making your way if you happen to be an empath, or ‘shaper’. Diane, the main character, uses her skills to chase down criminals and bring them to justice, but she’s starting to burn out.
I don’t want to say too much about this, because it’s a mystery story and it works very well at getting under the skin, for my money. Definitely worth picking up.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
I wasn’t sure where this one was going, but it ended up darker than I expected. I kept waiting for something to happen, and then it got all messed around — saying it got turned on its head wouldn’t quite be true, because it made perfect sense and it was coming all along, but I wasn’t quite expecting that. It’s a powerful story, and that ending has a heck of a sting in the tail.
The whole Christian fundamentalist running the USA thing is, well, kind of close to home with someone like Mike Pence as the VP. But this is mostly not about that world; that’s just the backdrop. It’s about living in that world, and making your way if you happen to be an empath, or ‘shaper’. Diane, the main character, uses her skills to chase down criminals and bring them to justice, but she’s starting to burn out.
I don’t want to say too much about this, because it’s a mystery story and it works very well at getting under the skin, for my money. Definitely worth picking up.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
May 18, 2011
To start, a passion play is "a dramatic presentation depicting the Passion of Jesus Christ: his trial, suffering, and death." (Thank you Wikipedia! Emphasis my own.) The title is thus a significant hint as to what sort of story this is; judging from the few reviews I've spotted online, not enough people got this going in.
That out of the way, this is an impressive first novel. Stewart's pacing is steady, his characters are well-drawn (if a bit stereotypical), and his prose is assured. The novel works equally well as science fiction, with its dystopic future and telepathic narrator, and as a mystery, with its cast of distinct suspects and very memorable dead man. It's lean and taut and packs a punch.
I actually wished it were a little less lean -- while I was content to simply wonder about how the Redemption Presidency came about, and why the police hired private contractors to do their detective work, and how they managed to get around that pesky first amendment right to freedom of religion, I really felt the novel needed a bit more of an infodump about the narrator's psychic abilities. They were central to the plot (whereas all the governmental stuff was mere backdrop) and I couldn't figure out a couple of key points (mostly whether or not anyone knew she was a shaper, and what the difference was between shapers and empaths) that would have changed how I read several scenes.
Despite that dissatisfaction, this is a powerful novel. Stewart has said "I wanted to write a book about moral choice. . . [to] create a society in which everyone cared passionately about moral choice." At the end I think I would quibble over whether there was a choice at all, but I didn't really care, because Stewart succeeded so well in capturing the tone of those sorts of moments, the agony of a crisis of faith and the relief in re-committing oneself, even in a pyrrhic fashion. Despite the SF world-building and mystery plot, this is an intimate novel, one that rises and falls with how well the reader responds to Diane's voice. The novel starts with the following:
When I try to write it down, it dies: I find myself speaking with my father's polished, thoughtful voice. But what I want to do is shout until my heart cracks, shout like a preacher at a Redemption service. I want God to grant me a voice that will shatter these concrete walls like the ramparts of Jericho. I want to speak in tongues my damnation, make you all see that this isn't just about the murder of Jonathan Mask, but about law and God and justice.
Shit.
It's a dark time and we all sound like the Bible.
If that works for you, you will very likely love this novel. I did.
That out of the way, this is an impressive first novel. Stewart's pacing is steady, his characters are well-drawn (if a bit stereotypical), and his prose is assured. The novel works equally well as science fiction, with its dystopic future and telepathic narrator, and as a mystery, with its cast of distinct suspects and very memorable dead man. It's lean and taut and packs a punch.
I actually wished it were a little less lean -- while I was content to simply wonder about how the Redemption Presidency came about, and why the police hired private contractors to do their detective work, and how they managed to get around that pesky first amendment right to freedom of religion, I really felt the novel needed a bit more of an infodump about the narrator's psychic abilities. They were central to the plot (whereas all the governmental stuff was mere backdrop) and I couldn't figure out a couple of key points (mostly whether or not anyone knew she was a shaper, and what the difference was between shapers and empaths) that would have changed how I read several scenes.
Despite that dissatisfaction, this is a powerful novel. Stewart has said "I wanted to write a book about moral choice. . . [to] create a society in which everyone cared passionately about moral choice." At the end I think I would quibble over whether there was a choice at all, but I didn't really care, because Stewart succeeded so well in capturing the tone of those sorts of moments, the agony of a crisis of faith and the relief in re-committing oneself, even in a pyrrhic fashion. Despite the SF world-building and mystery plot, this is an intimate novel, one that rises and falls with how well the reader responds to Diane's voice. The novel starts with the following:
When I try to write it down, it dies: I find myself speaking with my father's polished, thoughtful voice. But what I want to do is shout until my heart cracks, shout like a preacher at a Redemption service. I want God to grant me a voice that will shatter these concrete walls like the ramparts of Jericho. I want to speak in tongues my damnation, make you all see that this isn't just about the murder of Jonathan Mask, but about law and God and justice.
Shit.
It's a dark time and we all sound like the Bible.
If that works for you, you will very likely love this novel. I did.
June 16, 2017
Passion Play’s title alone could give you a clue to the insides of the book. The term ‘passion play’ is often assigned to plays or screen productions of ‘The Passion of Jesus Christ’. Anyone who has been to church around Easter or Christmas (especially in the states) has seen at least one of these. Keeping that in mind reading Passion Play, makes for an interesting experience. The story follows a woman, Diane Fletcher, who works in a sort of freelance/consultant position for the police. She’s a ‘hunter’ someone who can track down people for marks due to a special skill that allows her to feel the emotions and patterns of people around her. The government that she lives under is what gives this novel it’s unique spin. It’s a highly conservative Christian system called the Redemption Presidency. From the government to the television and movie and the computer system – the whole society follows those tenants. It’s very much about moral and moral choices and it’s something Sean Stewart has said in the past about this book.
The book opens with Diane being called in to look into a murder of a woman by stoning. A vigilante group has taken to stoning those they find in breach of the law for adultery or the like. This small case gives us a look at what Diane does, and gives us background development before leading to the main mystery of the book – who killed Jonathon Mask, a famous actor and supporter of the government.
Passion Play is, I believe, the debut of an author I’ve seen on shelves often but never picked up. This ‘new release’ this year is a reprint as the book was originally published in 1992. That I think it is important going in as this could be relevant to current political climates (maybe the reason for the reprint?). With that noted I’ll say it’s impressive for a debut. The structure of the story is clever, the world built is convincing and a little frightening for someone like me, who grew up tossed from church to church in the Southern US. I also really enjoyed our protagonist who at times annoyed me and other times I really felt for.
Diane is stubborn, driven, and struggles under this ability she has. The idea of an empath has been explored before in things I’ve read and this definitely looks at what might be the darker side of that gift. A type of burnout is often associated with it, especially after the thrills these people go for to begin to feel more and more intense emotion. It starts to seem more and more like a drug. I can get that, after feeling the same things from people over and over it’s possible that could happen. I liked that a presentation of the empathy in that drug-like manner. Those high emotion moments being felt by the empath and the other individual could definitely give a buzz. I think I would class her as unlikable just due to how dark and melancholy she was but for the setting and story it worked. There were flaws, I wanted more of her history and she did a few things towards the end of the novel that I don’t know were consistent. I can also say that about the side characters who, in addition, were a little two-sided. They almost had the dimension I wanted, enough that for a detective novel I could let it slide, but consistency wasn’t completely there for me.
There were a few other things, odd inserted moments that I think were meant to draw out and illustrate the world that instead fell a bit flat and felt like loose ends. Had the book actually been meatier and followed those threads or perhaps lead to a sequel it would have been much better. That leads me to the ultimate problem for me with the novel. The ending just didn’t feel like it fit – I see what the title is chosen having finished the novel, so I think I see what Sean Stewart was shooting for here. However I don’t think the character, as I read her, would have made that choice so I totally disagree with that ending. Other people may have enjoyed that more – but for me looking at what led up to that and trying to take in the context, I’m not convinced.
This is a book that will definitely appeal to a certain type of reader, if sounds interesting I think it’s worth picking up. I just wish there was more, and something there at the end besides what happened. The ideas were incredibly clever, but that’s up to you. Is it worth seeing how that plays out?
My copy was provided for review on NetGalley, so thank you!
Cover notes : I wasn’t able to locate the artist for this new edition with a Google search, however I really do like the design. It captures the gritty setting, and really pushes the feeling of the world with looming cross. Wonderful work to whoever this designer is!
The book opens with Diane being called in to look into a murder of a woman by stoning. A vigilante group has taken to stoning those they find in breach of the law for adultery or the like. This small case gives us a look at what Diane does, and gives us background development before leading to the main mystery of the book – who killed Jonathon Mask, a famous actor and supporter of the government.
Passion Play is, I believe, the debut of an author I’ve seen on shelves often but never picked up. This ‘new release’ this year is a reprint as the book was originally published in 1992. That I think it is important going in as this could be relevant to current political climates (maybe the reason for the reprint?). With that noted I’ll say it’s impressive for a debut. The structure of the story is clever, the world built is convincing and a little frightening for someone like me, who grew up tossed from church to church in the Southern US. I also really enjoyed our protagonist who at times annoyed me and other times I really felt for.
Diane is stubborn, driven, and struggles under this ability she has. The idea of an empath has been explored before in things I’ve read and this definitely looks at what might be the darker side of that gift. A type of burnout is often associated with it, especially after the thrills these people go for to begin to feel more and more intense emotion. It starts to seem more and more like a drug. I can get that, after feeling the same things from people over and over it’s possible that could happen. I liked that a presentation of the empathy in that drug-like manner. Those high emotion moments being felt by the empath and the other individual could definitely give a buzz. I think I would class her as unlikable just due to how dark and melancholy she was but for the setting and story it worked. There were flaws, I wanted more of her history and she did a few things towards the end of the novel that I don’t know were consistent. I can also say that about the side characters who, in addition, were a little two-sided. They almost had the dimension I wanted, enough that for a detective novel I could let it slide, but consistency wasn’t completely there for me.
There were a few other things, odd inserted moments that I think were meant to draw out and illustrate the world that instead fell a bit flat and felt like loose ends. Had the book actually been meatier and followed those threads or perhaps lead to a sequel it would have been much better. That leads me to the ultimate problem for me with the novel. The ending just didn’t feel like it fit – I see what the title is chosen having finished the novel, so I think I see what Sean Stewart was shooting for here. However I don’t think the character, as I read her, would have made that choice so I totally disagree with that ending. Other people may have enjoyed that more – but for me looking at what led up to that and trying to take in the context, I’m not convinced.
This is a book that will definitely appeal to a certain type of reader, if sounds interesting I think it’s worth picking up. I just wish there was more, and something there at the end besides what happened. The ideas were incredibly clever, but that’s up to you. Is it worth seeing how that plays out?
My copy was provided for review on NetGalley, so thank you!
Cover notes : I wasn’t able to locate the artist for this new edition with a Google search, however I really do like the design. It captures the gritty setting, and really pushes the feeling of the world with looming cross. Wonderful work to whoever this designer is!
August 6, 2017
When you consider the current political environment, the rerelease of Passion Play makes all the more sense. In this dystopian version of the US, the government is controlled by ultra conservatives who force their version of Christian Fundamentalism on the public. Vigilantes are prevalent and “sins” are violently punished. Diane Fletcher is an investigator, an empath whose abilities allow her to solve crimes through understanding the nature of the perpetrator. When Jonathan Mask, a Fundamentalist Icon and celebrity is killed, Diane is brought in to determine whether the situation was an accident or murder. The case is a difficult one, made more so by Mask’s nature. He was a celebrity, the voice of fundamentalism, but as Diane discovers he was also far more than that.
Passion Play questions the nature of judgment and justice. The society is supposedly Christian, but it is extremely violent and unforgiving. Diane is able to do her job because of her empathy, but at the same time her empathy is a disability, something that sets her apart. On the opposite side is Mask, whose philosophy of acting was that it doesn't matter if the nature of the character is felt or understood or lived by the actor (opposing method) so long as the characteristics are communicated to the public. Appearances matter rather than substance. Passion Play is not the easiest novel to read. At times it meanders, and its depiction of Diane’s empathy isn't always straightforward. Passion Play is dark and more than a little disturbing, in part because it is believable -especially now. It has flaws, but it is definitely powerful.
4 / 5
I received a copy of Passion Play from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Passion Play questions the nature of judgment and justice. The society is supposedly Christian, but it is extremely violent and unforgiving. Diane is able to do her job because of her empathy, but at the same time her empathy is a disability, something that sets her apart. On the opposite side is Mask, whose philosophy of acting was that it doesn't matter if the nature of the character is felt or understood or lived by the actor (opposing method) so long as the characteristics are communicated to the public. Appearances matter rather than substance. Passion Play is not the easiest novel to read. At times it meanders, and its depiction of Diane’s empathy isn't always straightforward. Passion Play is dark and more than a little disturbing, in part because it is believable -especially now. It has flaws, but it is definitely powerful.
4 / 5
I received a copy of Passion Play from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
June 28, 2017
This was a lot better than I initially gave it credit for; especially since I had no idea what was happening for the entire first half.
February 27, 2022
Very interesting. Rich characters and a good story.
July 26, 2011
Sean Stewart's first novel and winner of the 1993 Prix Aurora award. A quick, enjoyable read. The book is a detective story set in a near future where the U.S. government & society are in the control of religious fundamentalists and anti-technologists. Our main character, Diane Fletcher, is a hunter - a licensed detective contracted by the police to help track down and apprehend criminals. She is also an empath - a fact she hides due to prevalent prejudice. Fletcher is an interesting character - her interactions with the other characters and her perception of the world are the strength of the book. As a mystery/crime story, the plot is nothing special, but it works. The book's one failing was the ending. I was ok with outcome, but it seemed very sudden and I had trouble seeing Fletcher respond the way she did so quickly.
August 31, 2014
Imagine our society ruled by religious fanatics. There is not a lot of questioning going on because religion does not withstand serious questions very well, and ministers are people who make mistakes they do not like to be reminded of. The laws have changed somewhat to reflect the religious leanings, but there are limits to what the religious can do without going to the police, but they try. Diane Fletcher is one who hunts the religious fanatics who take the law into their own hands for the cops. She is also called a 'shaper,' which means she can do some magic with others minds, getting them to admit guilt.
A TV evangelist dies in a locked room mystery. Solving the mystery, Ms Fletcher comes to see her own demons as well the ones the evangelist had.
A TV evangelist dies in a locked room mystery. Solving the mystery, Ms Fletcher comes to see her own demons as well the ones the evangelist had.
January 22, 2012
A used bookstore find.
From an altitude of twenty years later, it's interesting to visit a cyberpunk novel published in 1992. Passion Play details a dystopic near future where the US is ruled by a theocracy. Technology is present but has been oppressed, so citizens have access to the net, videophones, and flat-screen tvs; mobile phones are curiously absent.
I'm a great fan of Perfect Circle and Mockingbird, and I recommend those two books as starting places for folks who would like to read Sean Stewart.
From an altitude of twenty years later, it's interesting to visit a cyberpunk novel published in 1992. Passion Play details a dystopic near future where the US is ruled by a theocracy. Technology is present but has been oppressed, so citizens have access to the net, videophones, and flat-screen tvs; mobile phones are curiously absent.
I'm a great fan of Perfect Circle and Mockingbird, and I recommend those two books as starting places for folks who would like to read Sean Stewart.
September 3, 2007
I'm planning to run down Stewart's bibliography and this is his first novel. This one is about an empathic bounty hunter in a fundamentalist Christian future. The story is intense, narrow and twisted in upon itself. The plot didn't quite work for me - but maybe I wanted redemption too. (October 05, 2005)
September 19, 2007
Took me a little bit to get situated in Stewart's futuristic society and to fit my head around the religion in the book, since it makes up such a huge focus for the novel. Not really religion, per se, but morality and ethics, more so. A good read -- fairly quick -- and Stewart's style is enjoyable. Overall, a good read. Not my favorite of his, by far, but for his first, a good outing.
January 30, 2008
interesting version what can happen to an empath who takes the role of a hunter of men.
July 16, 2013
I think my being tired of the paranormal detective stories really came into play with this book.
It's a decent book, but I've just read so many books just like this one by now!
It's a decent book, but I've just read so many books just like this one by now!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews